John Steinbeck Box Set: Featuring three unpublished works by John Steinbeck

Description

John Steinbeck Box Set: Featuring three unpublished works by John Steinbeck

(Three issues of the Strand which featured three works by John Steinbeck published)

In our 67th issue, we’re proud to present the first American release of John Steinbeck’s “How About McCarthyism”.  Like his works of fiction, which are sure to remain classics for as long as people still read, this article, with its clear-eyed analysis of the relationship between democracies and demagogues, is as relevant today as it was in the McCarthy era.  John Steinbeck penned this article when he and his third wife Elaine moved briefly to Paris. The couple fell in love with the City of Lights, and the great American author was so captivated that he chose to pen a weekly column called One American in Paris for a French literary magazine, chronicling his observations as an American. These were to be light-hearted fare—and yet Steinbeck, a keen social critic, was unable to entirely filter out his concerns about life back home and penned this prescient article. He also wrote a whimsical little tale titled “The Amiable Fleas” which the Strand published in English for the first time in 2019.

For our spotlight interview we caught up with bestselling author Louise Penny, who not only has earned critical and popular acclaim for her mystery novels, but has a reputation as being one of the most friendly mystery writers in the business. Penny shared her experiences as an aspiring author while working for CBC Canada,  spoke about the real-life character who served as the inspiration for Inspector Armand Gamache and told us how she survived during quarantine.

 

The Strand Magazine: New Steinbeck Short Story, Plus Fiction by Joyce Carol Oates

(New Steinbeck short story, fiction by Joyce Carol Oates, Robin Yocum, and David Marcum, exclusive interview with Hank Phillippi Ryan)

In our 58th issue, we’re proud to present the first American release of John Steinbeck’s “The Amiable Fleas.”

The new Steinbeck story, “The Amiable Fleas” revolves around a discerning cat named Apollo who serves as critic and confidant to the chef of a gourmet restaurant. Add in some family conflict and a restaurant critic and you have all the ingredients of a short comedic masterpiece.

From the humorous we shift to the sinister with “Final Interview” by the inimitable Joyce Carol Oates. It is a treat to publish such a prolific and influential writer, and Oates does not disappoint—offering a story about a burnt-out writer, a pathological youth, and a condescending journalist, all seemingly headed on a collision course. Also in this issue, Robin Yocum warns us not to underestimate an over-the-hill mobster with “The Last Hit,” and David Marcum, takes Holmes and Watson back to Dartmoor—of The Hound of the Baskervilles fame—to investigate a cold case in “The Dowser’s Discovery.”

For our spotlight interview we caught up with bestselling author and investigative journalist Hank Phillippi Ryan, who not only has earned critical and popular acclaim for her mystery novels, but has a reputation as one of the kindest and most gregarious mystery authors. Ryan shared experiences as an investigative journalist and offered a dose of pep for all those authors sitting on their manuscripts or trying to chase a trend.

We also have the latest book, audiobook, and DVD reviews.

 

Note: The Strand has published this work with the kind permission of the John Steinbeck Estate. This story is being published in English for the first time, and was originally published in Le Figaro in French in 1954.  The Steinbeck estate was able to confirm this fact and we’re grateful for their help and cooperation in permitting this work to be shared with a wider audience. Furthermore, this article has been well-known to scholars and the John Steinbeck estate for decades.

 

The Strand Magazine: Steinbeck Short Story “With Your Wings”

“With Your Wings” is a perfect example of why John Steinbeck is relevant today, and why his books are still required reading in schools around the world. The story, though short in length, contains many of the elements found in Steinbeck’s longer works. In this beautifully written piece about a young African-American airman returning home, Steinbeck says so much with so little. He sets the mood perfectly with his trademark lyrical prose and delivers a progressive message well ahead of its time.

Issue 41 also includes short stories by Alexander McCall Smith, Max Allan Collins, Andrew Crowley and a Sherlock Holmes pastiche by Lyndsay Faye. Our interview featured an exclusive with bestselling author Chelsea Cain.